and sent messengers throughout all Manasseh and called them up to follow him also. And he sent messengers unto Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, which came also to meet him.

Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the threshing place. And if the dew be on the fleece only, and dry upon all the earth beside: then I shall be sure that thou wilt save Israel by my hand as thou saidest."

And it came to pass. And he rose up early on the morrow, and he thrust the fleece together and wrung the dew thereout and filled a bowl of water.

And Gideon said unto God, "Be not angry with me, that I speak once more; let me prove only once again with the fleece. Let it be dry only upon the fleece, and dew upon all the ground about."

And God did so that same night: so that it was dry upon the fleece only, and on all the ground about, dew.

And the LORD said unto Gideon, "The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel make her vaunt to my dishonour and say, 'Our own hand hath saved us.'

Now therefore make a proclamation in the ears of the people and say, 'If any man dread or be afraid, let him return and get him soon from mount Gilead.'" And there departed and returned of the people twenty two thousand, and there abode ten thousand.

And the LORD said unto Gideon, "The people are yet too many, bring them down unto the water, and I will try them unto thee there. And of whom I say unto thee, this shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee. And whosoever I say unto thee, this shall not go with thee, the same shall not go."

And when he had brought down the people unto the water, the LORD said unto Gideon, "As many as lap the water with their tongues, as dogs do, them put by themselves; and so do them that kneel down upon their knees to drink."

And the number of them that put their hands to their mouths and lapped, were three hundred men. And all the remnant of the people knelt down upon their knees to drink water.

But if thou fear to go down, then go thou down unto the host, and Phurah thy lad,

When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and the interpretation of the same, he bowed himself to the earth and returned unto the host of Israel, and said, "Up, for the LORD hath delivered into your hands the host of the Midianites."

and said unto them, "Look on me and do likewise: and behold, when I come to the side of the host, even as I do, so do you.

And all three companies blew with trumpets and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right, to blow with all. And they cried, "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!"

And as the three hundred blew with trumpets, the LORD set every man's sword upon his neighbour, throughout all the host. And the host fled until they came to Bethshittah, to Zererah, and to the edge of Abelmeholah beside Tabbath.

And they took two captains of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb, and slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb at the press Zeeb and followed after Midian. And brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.

And the men of Ephraim said unto him, "Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledest us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites?" And they chode with him a good.

God hath delivered into your hands the lords of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do like as you have done?" And then their spirits abated from off him, when he had said that.

And then Gideon came to Jordan and passed over, both he and the three hundred men that were with him, very faint and yet followed the chase.

And he went thence to Phanuel, and spake unto them likewise. And the men of Phanuel answered him as did the men of Succoth.

Zebah and Zalmunna fled. But he followed after them, and took the two kings of the Midianites, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and all to tear them therewith.

And they said, "We will do it." And they spread a mantle and did cast thereinto every man the earrings of his prey.

Neither showed they mercy on the house of Jerubbaal, otherwise called Gideon, according to all the goodness which he showed them.

For Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them and with all his mother's father's kindred, saying,

And his mother's brethren rehearsed of him in the audience of all the citizens of Shechem, all these words, and moved their hearts to follow Abimelech, in that they said how he was their brother.

The trees went to anoint a king over them, and said unto the olive tree, 'Reign over us.'

But the olive tree said unto them, 'Should I leave my fatness which both God and man praiseth in me, and go to be promoted over the trees?'

Then said the trees to the fig tree, 'Come thou and be king over us.'

And the fig tree answered them, 'Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit, and should go to be promoted over the trees?'

And the vine answered, 'Should I leave my wine that cheereth both God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?'

And even so, now: if ye have done truly and uncorruptly to make Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands,

and ye are risen up against my father's house this day. And have slain his children, even seventy persons upon one stone and have made Abimelech - the son of his maidservant - king over the citizens of Shechem, because he is your brother.

If, then, ye have dealt purely and truly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day: then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.

And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

and wished that the wickedness done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come on him, and laid the blood of them unto Abimelech their brother which slew them, and unto the other citizens of Shechem which aided him in the killing of his brethren.

And the citizens of Shechem set men to lay await for him in the top of the mountains, which men robbed all that came along the way by them. And it was told Abimelech.

And Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren went and gat them to Shechem. And the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

and sent messengers unto Abimelech privily saying, "Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem: and behold they set the city against thee.

And rise early in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, and come upon the city. And when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, do to him what thine hands shall be able."

And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night. And they laid await to the city in four companies.

And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, "Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains." And Zebul said unto him, "The shadow of the hills seem men unto thee."

And then Abimelech went and dwelt at Arumah. And then Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, and would not suffer them to dwell in Shechem.

And Abimelech, and the companies that were with him, ran and stood in the entering of the gate of the city. And the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields and slew them.

And then Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and took it, and slew the people that were therein, and destroyed the city and sowed salt in the place.

he gat him to mount Zalmon, both he and all that were with him, and took axes with him and cut down an arm of a tree, and took it up, and put it on his shoulder, and said unto the folk that were with him, "Whatsoever ye see me do: speed yourselves and do likewise."

Then went Abimelech to Thebez and besieged it and took it.

But there was a strong tower in the midst of the city, and thither ran all the men and women and all the citizens of the city and shut it to them, and got them up upon the top of the tower.

Then came Abimelech unto the tower and fought against it, and went hard unto the entering of the gate, to set it on fire.

But a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon his head and all to break his brainpan.

After Abimelech there arose, to defend Israel, one Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, which dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

And after him arose Jair a Gileadite, which judged Israel twenty two years.

And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and had thirty cities for them, which are called the towns of Jair unto this day, and are in the land of Gilead.

Moreover, the children of Ammon went over Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim: so that Israel was sore cumbered.

the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppress you? And ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hands.

But the children of Israel said unto the LORD, "We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever please thee, and deliver us only at this time."

And the company of the lords of Gilead said each to other, "Whosoever will begin the battle against the children of Ammon, the same shall be head over all the inhabiters of Gilead."

But Gilead's wife bare him sons, which when they were come to age, thrust out of Jephthah, and said unto him, "Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house, for thou art the son of a strange woman."

Then Jephthah fled from his brethren and dwelt in the land of Tob. And there gathered idle people to Jephthah, and went out with him.

And the elders of Gilead answered Jephthah, "Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabiters of Gilead."

And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, "If ye bring me home again, to fight with the children of Ammon, then if the LORD deliver them before me, I shall be your head."

And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The LORD be witness between us if we do not according to thy words."

Then Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, "What aileth thee with me that thou comest upon me to fight against my land?"

But when Israel came out of Egypt, they walked through the wilderness, even unto the reed sea, and came to Kadesh,

But Sihon trusted not Israel, to go through his coasts: but gathered all his people together and pitched in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.

Nay, but what people Chemosh thy god driveth out, that land possess thou. But whatsoever nations the LORD our God expelleth, that land ought we to enjoy.

Wherefore I have not sinned against thee. But thou doest me wrong, to war against me. The LORD therefore be judge this day, between the children of Israel, and the children of Ammon."

Then the spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. And he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and came to Mizpeh that lieth in Gilead, and from thence unto the children of Ammon.

And so Jephthah went unto the children of Ammon to fight with them. And the LORD delivered them into his hands.

And he smote them from Aroer unto Minnith, twenty cities. And so forth to the plain of the vineyards, and made an exceeding great slaughter. And thus the children of Ammon were brought under, before the children of Israel.

Then Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house. And see, his daughter came out against him, with timbrels and dances, which was his only child: so that beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

And she said unto him, "My father, if thou have opened thy mouth unto the LORD, then do with me according to that proceeded out of thy mouth, forasmuch as the LORD hath avenged thee of thine enemies the children of Ammon."

And she said unto her father, "Do this much for me: let me alone two months that I may go down to the mountains and bewail my virginity with my fellows."

And he said, "Go." And so he sent her away two months. And she went with her companions and lamented her maidenhead upon the mountains.

And after the two months she turned again unto her father, which did with her according to his vow which he had vowed, and so she knew no man.

And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, "Wherefore wentest thou to fight with the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? We will therefore burn thine house upon thee with fire."

And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands and went upon the children of Ammon. And the LORD delivered them into my hands. Wherefore then are ye come upon me to fight with me?"

Then the other answered, "Then say, 'Shibboleth.'" And they said, "Syboleth" - and could not so pronounce. Whereupon the others took them and slew them at the passages of Jordan. And there were overthrown at that time, of the Ephraimites, forty two thousand.

And the children of Israel began again to commit wickedness in the sight of the LORD. And the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.

For see, thou shalt conceive and bear a son. And there may no razor or shearers come on his head: for the lad shall be an abstainer unto God, even from the time of his birth. And he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines."

And he said unto me, 'Behold, thou shalt be with child and bear a son, and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the lad shall be an abstainer to God even from his birth to the day of his death.'"

Then Manoah made intercession to the LORD, and said, "I pray thee, my LORD, let the man of God which thou sentest come once more unto us and teach us what we shall do unto the lad when he is born."

Then the wife made haste and ran and showed her husband and said to him, "Behold, the man appeared unto me that came the other day unto me."

And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said unto him, "Art thou the man that spakest unto my wife?" And he said, "Yea."

Then Manoah said, "Now when thy saying is come to pass: what shall be the manner of the child, and what shall he do?"

Then said Manoah unto the Angel of the LORD, "Grant us to tarry until we have made ready a kid and have set it before thee."

And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, "What is thy name, that when thy saying is come to pass, we may do thee some worship?"

and said unto his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God!"

But his wife said unto him, "If the LORD would kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering of our hands; neither would he have showed us all these things, nor would have told us as he hath of things to come."

And the spirit of the LORD began first to be with the house of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines,

and came up and told his father and his mother, and said, "I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. And now give her me to wife."

Then went Samson and his father and his mother down to Timnah. And when they came to the vineyards of Timnah, behold, a young lion roared upon him.

And within a short space after, as he went thither again to take her to wife, he turned out of the way, to see the carcass of the Lion. And behold, there was a swarm of bees in the carcass of the Lion and honey.

And he took of the honey in his hands and went eating, and came to his father and mother, and gave them also. And they did eat. But he told them not, that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the Lion.

And when his father was come unto the woman, Samson made there a feast, for so used the young men to do.

And when her friends saw him, they brought thirty companions to bear fellowship.

And when the seventh day was come, they said unto Samson's wife, "Flatter with thine husband, that he may declare us thy riddle, or else we will burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to make us beggars? Or not?"

And she wept unto him seven days, while the feast lasted. And the seventh day he told her, because she lay so sore upon him. And she told it the children of her folk.

And the men of the city said unto him the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a Lion?" Then said he unto them, "If ye had not ploughed with my calf, ye had not found out my riddle."